


Lay Your Head Down (Just For Now)

by c0cunt



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Not Canon Compliant, Other, heavy emphasis on comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 11:57:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10990458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c0cunt/pseuds/c0cunt
Summary: Allura is under more than a little pressure, as the paladins head out into the empty space where Altea once was.





	Lay Your Head Down (Just For Now)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HedonistInk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedonistInk/gifts).



> so i wrote this mainly bc my best friend is hurting and he asked for something comforting. i suggested pallura & he said "I'd die yes", so here we are

     It was _hard,_ pretending to be a commander to a bunch of _young_ aliens, who had no idea how most of their Altean tech worked, with no one to help.  (That was a bit of a stretch - Allura had Coran to advise her, but she didn’t have her father to turn to.  But, that was basically alone, wasn’t it?)  It was obvious they were all trying their best, children tossed into a war they didn’t even know was happening, but there were things that just _scraped_ at her.

     “Lance, can you stop flirting with the first slightly female _thing_ you come across and focus on the mission?”  Allura snapped, teeth grinding together in frustration.  That stopped all the conversations she was hearing over the communicators (of which there were many, as none of the paladins seemed to gather just how _important_ this was).

      “Geeze, ‘Lura, that’s kinda harsh,” Pidge said flatly, after a few moments of silence.  Murmured agreements from the other paladins, and Coran’s half disapproving look over his shoulder made her feel small.  The other half of the look on Coran’s face made her want to snap, because _right in front of them -_

      “I can’t do this.” Allura blurted out, ripping off her headgear to the sounds of Pidge’s protests, vaguely echoed by Shiro’s.  But she couldn’t just stand there, and stare out at the space where Altea had been, and attempt to try and predict what direction bits of their planet might’ve been blown had anything _survived._  Coran took an abortive step in her direction, looking desperate and young in a way that her adoptive father _shouldn’t be._  She fled without a backwards glance, guilt and sadness crushing her chest until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but crawl underneath the spare pillows and blankets in her room, and shake apart with tears staining the pillows closest to her face.

 

* * *

 

      Allura wasn’t sure how much time had passed, or how she had fallen asleep, but she jerked awake when she felt the blankets she was underneath shift slightly, as a weight heavier than one of the mice pressed into it.  Too small to be Coran, and for a wild moment, Allura thought for sure it was her mother, but - a deep, shaky breath brought the scent of burning metals, definitely _not_ her mother, but very distinctly -

      “Pidge,” She breathed, as her lover slowly wormed their way underneath blankets, their small hands carefully reaching out to touch Allura’s balled up fists.  Allura blinked her eyes open finally, almost surprised to find that the lights were on, and she was vaguely able to see Pidge’s own face.  She lifted the pink sheet they were underneath slightly, her right arm up over their heads.  They were bathed in tinted pink light, and Pidge took her movement as a sign to move closer, carefully scooting until they were nose to nose, and lifting their own arm to match Allura’s.  A careful hand, callused and slightly chilled, worked her fist open, until they were able to worm their fingers between Allura’s own (hand holding - something that Pidge had introduced her to), and slowly tugged their raised arms down, allowing the sheet to float back down over them.  

      Pidge wrapped their other arm underneath Allura’s shoulders, and gently pressed their palm against her back, encouraging her to move down as well as closer.  Allura resisted slightly, not used to being pressed to someone else’s chest like Pidge was, but eventually relented as Pidge dropped gentle kisses to the top of her head.  With a sigh, she relaxed into Pidge’s arms, their fingers unlacing for Pidge to hold them tightly, some of their fingers threading through her hair soothingly.  (She had been the one to teach Pidge how to be comforting - it wasn’t something that had come naturally to the human, whose movements had always been almost mechanic and controlled when they had first met.)  Allura pressed her face into Pidge’s chest, unable to stop herself from smiling as Pidge tangled their legs together, in an attempt to get closer.  After a moment of rearranging themselves, they were silent and still, taking comfort in each other’s warmth.  It was Pidge, surprisingly, who broke the silence.

      “I’m sorry for being so harsh earlier,” They whispered into Allura’s hair, followed by another round of careful kisses.  She shook her head slightly, almost dislodging Pidge’s arms in her vehemence.

      “I was the one out of line - I hope Lance will accept my apology…”  She couldn’t help worrying, her voice not raising above a whisper either.  It wouldn’t have felt right to speak louder, in their shared cocoon.  Pidge tutted at her as they squished her closer, Allura having to readjust her face so it wasn’t pressed against a bony shoulder.

      “He understands.  We all understand.  Hell, we would’ve acted the same way if we were approaching where Earth had been,”  They soothed.  Allura felt the weight pressing on her shoulders lighten, but she bit her lip as she remembered the last part of her team that she’d let down.

     “And Coran?”  She asked tentatively, her fists balling up in Pidge’s shirt nervously.  Pidge hummed thoughtfully for a moment, kneading Allura’s back with one of their hands.

      “He’s doing okay.  Hunk’s got an eye on him, but I doubt he blames you for your reaction,” Pidge mumbled, pressing their face into her hair.  Allura huffed in annoyance as she attempted to bury her face further into Pidge.

      “You’re just a kid too, Allura.  You’re allowed to act the way you do,” Pidge said firmly, voice almost at normal speaking volume.  They pulled back a bit, in an attempt to search Allura’s face, hoping she understood as she nodded.  Pidge wiggled downward, until their face was level with Allura’s (who grumbled unhappily as they lost their spot against Pidge’s soft chest).  They brushed their nose against hers, insistent even as they pressed their lips gently to Allura’s, who relaxed into the kiss with a sigh.  They then settled back to how they were, Pidge still petting Allura’s back comfortingly as she pressed her face into Pidge’s chest.

      “Can we stay like this?”  Allura asked selfishly, quiet and hopeful.

      “Of course,” Pidge murmured as they pressed another gentle kiss to her forehead.  The universe would wait for a little while at least.


End file.
